Collectomania – Universes of Collecting

Barbie dolls, liturgical vestments, water pistols or birdcalls – apparently there is nothing too banal or strange not to arouse the interest of collectors. Their motives are as diverse as their collections. With passionate interest they collect, hoard, and organize objects ranging from miniscule to gigantic. Collecting has an important role as it rescues things and their history from oblivion and makes them available for research and the acquisition of knowledge. Collectomania presents collections of very different kinds belonging to private and institutional collectors. With a variety of design pieces and objects from daily life as well as video portraits the exhibition enquires into the social and cultural value of this activity.